


The Adventures of Ladybug and Zili Alqatah

by Emerald_Shadow



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cat Miraculous, Crossover, Crossover Pairings, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-04-24
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:02:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23812756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emerald_Shadow/pseuds/Emerald_Shadow
Summary: So, let’s just make sure that this is clear: Damian Wayne did not mean to assume another hero identity when he transferred to Paris. It just happened. Because of reasons entirely out of his control…. okay, maybe that wasn’t entirely true. He had befriended Ladybug’s civilian identity because she was the only one is his class who wasn’t a complete and utter fool. And he may have acted heroic in Akuma situations, but what was her expected to do? Not protect the people of Paris? That was like asking a dog to not wag their tail when they were happy for Batman’s sake! So maybe his actions inadvertently lead to him assuming another alter ego, but it wasn’t intentional!
Relationships: Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne, Jason Todd & Damian Wayne, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Damian Wayne, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Damian Wayne, Selina Kyle/Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake & Damian Wayne
Comments: 26
Kudos: 525





	1. Chapter 1

So, let’s just make sure that this is clear: Damian Wayne did not mean to assume another hero identity when he transferred to Paris. It just happened. Because of reasons entirely out of his control…. okay, maybe that wasn’t entirely true. He had befriended Ladybug’s civilian identity because she was the only one is his class who wasn’t a complete and utter fool. And he may have acted heroic in Akuma situations, but what was her expected to do? _Not_ protect the people of Paris? That was like asking a dog to not wag their tail when they were happy for Batman’s sake! So maybe his actions inadvertently lead to him assuming another alter ego, but it **wasn’t intentional**!

Originally, Damian had only moved the Paris and transferred to Francois DuPont and Mlle Bustier’s class because it had the most Akumatized in the same environment constantly. He wanted to figure out what had to happened to someone in order for them to get akumatized and who Hawkmoth was and how to take him down. His father had been curious and thought that someone within the city to observe the people might be the smartest and easiest way to gain more data about whatever was happening in Paris. So to Paris Damian had moved.

Originally it had been a burden and he had spotted the cause of the Akumas within the class and even outside of it almost immediately. One Lila Rossi, a horrible actress and liar who had almost everyone wrapped around her finger and pulled the strings that lead to almost all of the Akuma attacks he had witnessed. It all disgusted him. The fact that no one saw through her, no one made the connections and that no one seemed to fact check anything, especially that reporter girl was eating it all up and believing everything the Italian girl said ; it was really sad how gullible a supposedly great journalist was. He was sure that the Kents would be appalled at her horrible journalism - admittedly he was tempted to send Jon a link to the website and tell him to show us mother and video her reaction to send it to him.

Than he had befriended one Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the only one of his classmates with a tiny bit of sensibility in them. She was kind, lonely and brave, standing up to Lila despite the glares, hate and isolation it resulted in. He had to admire that about her. Marinette’s friendship with him started out subtlety, so subtlety that even he couldn’t tell it was happening until three months later when he was in her bedroom with her, coaching her spoken English skills. He had to take a moment to compose himself when he realized just how far gone he was.

Then, two months later, Marinette had crashed into his living room, tears streaming down her cheeks, a silver ring in her hands and a red and black creature hugging her cheek and whispering reassurances to her. Damian had his sword drawn, on high alert until he spotted the fragile figure of his best Parisian friend curled up on his leather coach. The moment her heart wrenching sobs registered, he had discarded his weapon and sat down beside her, gently turning her to face him. Thinking quickly about what Grayson would do, he hand pulled the small bluenette against his side and began rocking her back and forth, humming a lullaby that Grayson had taught him from his own childhood.

When he had asked what caused her break down, after he sobs became quite sniffles and the waterfall of tears became a trickle down her face, Marinette had explained that Chat Noir - who was their classmate Adrien Agreste - had gone too far this time and she was forced to take his Miraculous. She curled her hands, which she had kept clutched to her chest up until then, showing him the small silver ring resting on her palm. Damian had pulled her closer once she had told him, however vaguely, what had happened. Ever since he arrived, half a year prior, he had seen how that alley cat acted, how unprofessional and pushy he was. He didn’t take any of attacks seriously and constantly flirted with Ladybug, even though she made it clear on multiple occasions that she wasn’t interested. Honestly, Damian thought he was a pathetic excuse of a hero and learning how he had treated Marinette - who was Ladybug and that should probably have shocked him but it made so much sense he was surprised he didn’t notice before - did not help his view of Agreste, who had stood by and let Lila do whatever she wanted, let her bully and manipulate and lie her way to the top and use their classmates. He had half a mind to beat some sense into that pathetic boy.

But then Marinette had offered him the ring. And he had accepted. After all, Ladybug needed a new partner and Paris needed a new protector and Marinette needed support in her time of need. And so Zili Alqatah (Shadow Cat) was born. He was Ladybug’s new partner and Chat Noir was no where to be found. He was very different from the ‘leather’ clad hero, much more serious and helpful to Ladybug. His hero outfit was layered black fabric, looser but practical pants with black calf boots, black gloves, a green lining to everything and a black cape with a hood that had had cat years on it that cast a shadow that cover the top half of his face, only his neon green feline eyes visible through the darkness. It was a mix of his Robin and League of Assassin outfits’ style and Marinette, the fashion expert, approved of it so he didn’t mind. Besides it was practical and a little comforting to him. He missed doing hero work.

At first there was a lot of scandal surrounding the new Black Car miraculous holder, people speculating about the reason. It was such a strange thing, how gossip worthy a new hero was. In Gotham, if a new Bat showed up the general public just shrugged and collectively said ‘whatever’ then moved on like nothing was different. Paris’s tabloids, newspapers, TV channels, blogs, gossip sites, everyone was abuzz with what could have happened. At first he and Marinette had worried Adrien might do something but the next time they saw him, he acted like he didn’t know anything and he really didn’t. His memories were altered to make it seem like he was never Chat Noir and for that they were both grateful. One less thing to worry about.

After the initial transition, after the buzz died down and Paris got used to Zili Alqatah, everything was fine. Hawkmoth was still taking advantage of the citizens, the people still loved the Miraculous Duo and the heroes went on with their days and nights. Though Damian did start training Marinette in more violent martial arts, teaching her what the League if Assassins had taught him. Marinette was strong and could hold her own but she wasn’t confrontational. She looked for openings while defending herself and almost never went on the offensive. That had to change.

So for the next six months, they fell into a new routine, growing closer every day. He didn’t remember that his family was coming to visit during the summer until Grayson showed up at his apartment with dozens of bags, Todd and Drake in tow. He’s eyes widened and he almost slammed the door on them but Grayson pushed his way in, babbling happily. He dropped his bags in the hall that lead to the living room and kitchen then swept Damian into a hug, who didn’t protest anymore, which freaked his other brothers out. A year ago he would have squirmed and yelled to be let go but now he just patted his oldest brother on the back with a monotone greeting.

Todd ruffled his hair and Drake nodded to him before disappearing into the kitchen to make himself a coffee. Unfortunately for him - and to Damian’s great amusement - Marinette had slowly transitioned Damian from coffee to tea and the youngest Wayne no longer had a single grain of coffee in his home. His cry of dispair made Damian cackle.

“So,” Todd was the first to speak once they settled in the living room with mugs of tea, Drake still bemoaning the lack of coffee in Damian’s kitchen, “what’s up with the radio silence Demon Spawn?”

Damian took a sip of his tea before he answered, “Life in Paris is a little chaotic Todd, if you couldn’t already tell. I haven’t had the time to spare to chat about insignificant details of my life. After all, I trust you still received my monthly reports just fine, no?”

Idly, he thought that Marinette would elbow him in the ribs for being so rude to his brothers while trying not to laugh. She found his remarks funny, despite constantly chastising him about being more polite to everyone around them.

“Yeah, but B was getting a little worried. We all were.” Grayson said and while his younger brothers half heartedly tried to deny it. Damian was unconvinced and had to smirk.

“My apologies then.” Damian said, sincerely. He really hadn’t meant to loose touch with his family but being Zili Alqatah has taken up a lot more time than he anticipated and navigating the minefield that was his and Marinette’s classmates without committing murder a full time job in his opinion.

They spent the rest of the afternoon catching up with one another and Damian’s older brothers were surprised that he didn’t protest or try to weasel his way out of it. In truth, Damian had missed his family and wanted to stay involved with the Family. They caught him up on the latest Gotham Gossip, told him about some of the stranger confrontations they’ve had with Rogues and some of the fun little things the family had done. Damian found he had sourly missed this. It was nice to be with his family again, despite him refusing to voice that sentiment. He had a suspicion his brothers felt the same way.

After it had gotten dark, Damian and his brothers left is apartment and went to the restaurant of The Grande Paris hotel too meet with Bruce, who had been stuck at the Wayne Enterprises building in Paris , meeting with the board to make sure everything was running smoothly. Surprisingly, Damian had hugged Bruce when they arrived and everyone questioned their reality but Damian didn’t act as if anything out of the ordinary had happened so the others followed his example but added that to their mental list of ‘Evidence That Demon Spawn Was Replaced By Aliens/Robots/Demons’.

The evening had gone smoothly right up until the Akuma attack. People were screaming, ducking under the tables, running out of the room and trying to protect their loved ones.

“Get our if here! Now!” Damian yelled at his family, pushing them towards the door as his brothers tried to protest.

“We can take ‘em!” Jason fried to protest but Damian just shoved him harder, making him nearly topple down a flight of stairs.

“No you can not!” The youngest Wayne snarled at them, “wait until Ladybug and Zili Alqatah take care of this and then we can talk.” Then he slammed the door shut, pulling the fire alarm to lock it automatically. He desperately hoped that his family would be smart enough to to interfere. Who was he kidding. They probably would.

“Plagg, I’m screwed.” He whispered as his Kwami floated in front of his face, his luminous green eyes the only thing he could see in the darkness of the supply closet he choose to transform in.

“Yeah you are Kitten. Yeah you are.” The black Kwami answered with a laugh in his voice

————————————

“Alright, what’s bothering you?” Ladybug asked once she tossed her bungee cord into the air and it burst into millions of glowing ladybugs that flew around Paris, fixing all the damage done by the Akuma.

“My family is here. They don’t know but they suspect something is wrong.” Alqatah said, ignoring the beeping of his ring.

“Oh. I’ll come by your place in half an hour with some macarons and cookies okay?” The bluenette offered as she opened the doors to the balcony.

“Alright. Bring a slice or two of cheesecake too.” Alqatah requested as he turned towards the stair way he had shoved his family into. Lucky they hadn’t gotten out yet.

“Will do! Bug out!” Ladybug threw her yo-yo and leapt from the rooftop as Zili Alqatah took a deep breath and opened the door to the stair way.

He closed his eyes as he de transformed in front of his family, speaking before any of his brothers or his father could even open their mouths, “I will explain at home.”

————————————

Marinette didn’t like that Damian had to reveal himself to his family but she knew he had no choice. His family was very good at deducing well, everything and it was no use trying to hide anything from them. But she wanted to keep their identities between just the two of them. It made their relationship feel special to her.

Using her key, she opened Damian’s front door, carefully balancing the pastry boxes she brought with her on the palm of her hand. The familiar action helped her slip into their routine, causing her to call down the hallway, “Dami!”

“Yes?” She heard Damian call back distractedly from the living room.

“Do you have tea in the living room or should I put the kettle on?” She yelled as she closed the door behind her and toed off her shoes.

“There is tea here but could you grab one more mug? And utensils?” The holder of the Black Cat miraculous replied.

“Okay, be with you in a moment.” Marinette ducked into the kitchen, grabbing her mug off of the counter and opening a drawer to scoop up a lot more small forks than was strictly needed.

Exiting the kitchen through the door that lead into the living room, she dropped the mug with the forks in it onto the table, carefully placing the pastry boxes down next to it. Flopping down on the sofa next to Damian, she couldn’t help but remark, “you should actually do your dishes once in a while Dami. The pile in the sink is almost as tall as I am!”

Damian opened his mouth to reply to her but was cut off by the surprised and slightly fearful voice of Jason Todd, “What the actual f**k!”


	2. Zili Alqatah's Family

Marinette, who didn’t recognize the sudden voice that spoke, lunged forward and grabbed one of the forks on the table, the insticints instilled in her by years of being ladybug and Damian’s meticulous training kicking in as she threw the makeshift weapon in the supposed intruders direction. Her actions were followed by a grunt of pain, several alarmed and surprised cries and an appreciative hum. It was easy to tell who the humm belonged to.

The short haired brunette turned on the couch, her legs tucked under her bum and arms crossed over her chest as she glared at Damian who had a smirk on his lips and laughter in his eyes, “Why didn’t you tell me that they were already here?”

“Because they weren’t. It seems they have just arrived,” Damian said nonchalantly, leaning forward and grabbing a macaron from one of the boxes Marinette had brought over, “Nice throw by the way. Good estimation of direction based on sound and it seems you’ve managed to lodge a pastry fork into my brother’s helmet.”

Marinette blushed a little, appreciating the praise from her partner as she looked over that the four masked heroes in the room with them. Indeed there was a fork sticking out of the middle of the forehead of Red Hood’s helmet that the leather clad vigilante was poking with slight discontent. Red Robin was snickering next to him, his phone in his hands as he sent a couple of pictures to the Batfamily group chat. Nightwing was staring at his younger brother with definite horror and slight awe, his mouth opening and closing as he searched for the right words to say. Batman, meanwhile, just side and pinched the bridge of his nose. Of course this happened. Why did he expect anything else?

“Sorry about that. Somebody,” her tone turned accusing as she glanced not so secretly at Damian on the couch beside her even as she leaned back and felt Damian’s arms settle around her shoulders, “taught me a couple of things about offensive martial arts and things like that.”

“Of course he did.” Batman sounded so tired right then that Marinette had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. 

“Father, Marinette is a superhero and needs to know how to fight another.” Damian popped the last piece of macaron into his mouth, his fingers idly fiddling with the ends of Marinette’s short bob cut.

His family was very much unnerved by the domesticity of the two teenagers in the room, acting very much like a married couple. None of them had ever seen Damian this relaxed and comfortable around another person that wasn’t Dick before. He was generally an untrusting person who kept people at an arm's length and was aware of every single action he made around other people. He was moderately comfortable around everyone in the family, being most at ease with Dick and the most self conscious around Bruce and Tim. And yet here he was, mindlessly playing with Marinette’s hair and holding her and just acting as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening at all.

“I’m guessing she knows then.” Bruce wasn’t asking a question, eyes narrow and mouth set in a firm downturned frown but he sounded resigned.

“Of course she does.” Damian sounded like he was offended by the very thought of Marinette Dupain-Cheng not knowing their families most well protected and important secret. 

Said bluenette leaned her head against Damian’s shoulder and regarded the gathered Bat Family members with an analyzing stare that they all returned. A tense silence descended over the room for a solid couple of minutes as all of them gathered all of the information they could about one another by just looking at each other. The four Bat’s were a little unnerved by the way such a petite figured woman was looking at them with cool, steely blue eyes and a clinical efficacy that did not fit her sweet looking features and relaxed posture at all.

“It’s nice to meet all of you. Damian has to me about you.” Marinette was the one to restart a potential conversation, hold her hand out and gesturing for them to take a seat around the coffee table, “Please take a pastry, have some tea.”

Yet again the family was caught off guard by how domestic the two were but decided not to mention it out loud just yet. The nature of their relationship was still unknown after all. So instead they sat down, with Dick and Jason on the floor directly opposite Damian and Marinette and Tim and Bruce on the arm chairs on either side of the coffee table parallel to the ends of the leather couch. 

“So… You’re Zili Alqatah huh Dami?” Dick broke the ice, speaking around a mouthful of macaron. “And I’m guessing that means Marinette is Ladybug?”

Damian simply nodded while Marinette answered with a “Yup,”popping the ‘p’ at the end of the word.

“How’d that happen? I mean, who would you trust demon Spawn to become your partner?”Jason spoke this time, his red helmet discarded onto the floor next to him as he ate one of the slices of cheesecake. “How is that transformation possible anyway?”   
Marinette’s eyes narrowed a little dangerously and her voice was low as she spoke, “Damian is my closest friend and confident. He’s helped me through a lot of things and I trust him with my life. So when Chat Noir went too far and I had to find a new Partner, I knew that Damian would be the perfect candidate. I trust him, he knows how to fight, he is responsible, understands the need professionalism and i knew he wanted to keep Paris safe just like I did. He is all I could ask for in a partner.” 

Damian couldn’t help the blood that rushed to his cheeks at Marinette statement but didn’t let his feelings leak into his voice as he began explaining the Miraculous and Kwami, “Our sources of power are the Kwami, small god like creatures who choose us to be the bears of their Miraculous, the Black Cat ring and the Ladybug earrings.” He held up his left hand, showing his family the silver ring on his middle finger. “Plagg and Tikki make our suits out of magic and allow us to use their powers of Creation, Luck and Destruction, Misfortune to protect Paris and consivently the world.”

The two small gods zipped out of the pockets, flying over to the table and beginning to devour a slice of cheesecake together. The three former Robin’s jumped and shrieked at the sight of the two small bug like creatures and Bruce had to blink. They weren’t the strangest thing he has ever seen but they were up there. 

“I suppose you’re staying in Paris until Hawkmoth is defeated then?” Bruce asked Damian, voice monotone by eyes full of support and a little bit of sorrow because he knew what the answer was going to be. 

“Yes Father. I cannot simply abandon Paris and the life I’ve built here.” Damian didn’t waver, he was prepared for the question. While he missed his family, his city and being Robin, he was committed to Paris and Marinette. He wouldn’t leave her behind for anything in the world and wanted to keep the innocent civilians of the City of Love safe. He had grown to love the city, despite his previous misgivings about having to live her and his idiotic classmates. Being here, with Marinette, made it all worth it. 


	3. Zili Alqatah's Vacation

The next week was spent in preparation for a short trip Damian would be taking back to Gotham for the Annual Wayne Gala. Marinette came over every day, mostly for training but she also forced Damian to do the dishes. The other Wayne’s got used to her presence pretty quickly because they had to. They liked her, sure but she also was a very strange presence to have around. She was a very domestic person, a stark contrast to their youngest brother but in a complementary way and they also quickly learned that she could easily match the only green eyed Wayne at just about anything. They moved around Damian’s apartment liked they lived there together for years and communicated through the subtlest body language imaginable. It was really starting to freak all of them out, especially since they didn’t know whether it was all platonic, romantic or something else entirely. They were just very intimate and in tune but they didn’t know to what extent and it was driving the family of detectives and people who solved crimes for a living up the wall.

Marinette, or Netti as she asked them to call her, had also come by with a sketchbook and a bag full of fabrics and other such things every other day or so and the two of them disappeared into Damian’s study for a couple hours. It was a strange occurrence but no less strange than anything else that happened involving them so all they could do was add it to the list unexplainable and strange things that happened with Netti and Damian.

On the day that the Wayne family left for Gotham, Damian made them stop at a bakery next to a small park and went inside. He didn’t allow anyone to come with him and when he came back out, his arms were piled with pastry boxes identical in design to the ones that Marinette had brought over the first time they meet and that Damian’s fridge was full of. Over the course of their stay, each and every one of them had found a new favorite sweet in something they discovered in the boxes. Bruce became infatuated with Opera cakes, the coffee taste and cream filling making for a delectable pastry in his opinion, Dick took a liking to Tarte Tatin, finding it to be a jazzed up version of the American apple pie that was very pleasing, Jason - thought he wouldn’t admit it - fell in love with the pink strawberry and cream Fraisier and Tim was well on his way to transitioning from traditional coffee to coffee macarons with dark chocolate filling. Much to his whole family’s relief there was plenty of those creation and many more in the boxes that Damian brought for them.

The plane ride went relatively smoothly, with just a few minor disagreements about seating and food. Damian surprisingly didn’t threaten anyone on the vehicle with his blade - yet another thing to be added to the list of strange things about this new Damian - and Jason managed to keep it civil with Tim, who managed to keep it civil with Damian who managed to keep it civil with everyone, much to Dick and Bruce’s relief. The two oldest aboard the plane took a nap while Tim used his computer to work on who knows what, Jason alternated between listening to music and zoning out and reading some trashy novels he picked up at the airport shop. Damian had a few whispered conversations with Plagg that none of them could hear and made his way through an old time while taking notes in a bugling leather bound journal and muttering forgein sounding words, practicing them over and over again. 

When they landed, they were greeted by the sight of Alfred Pennyworth on the airstrip with the limo that the family used as transport when there were a lot of them at one time; but not for all of them, for all of them, they had a convoy of vans at the ready at all times. Damian smiled at his grandfather-figure and gave him a short but affectionate hug that surprised the old man but was welcome regardless. Alfred returned the affection and patted the teens head affectionately. The four who went to Paris had filled the rest of the Family in on what has happened since Damian moved to Paris and they all wanted to talk to Damian about it. Luckily Alfred was an expert at keeping his grandchildren at bay and succeeded in doing so once more though he was looking forward to the eventual chaos that would take over the Wayne household.

Once everything was packed into the trunk and everyone was settled in their seats, Damian pulled out his cell phone and texted Marinette.

Edge Lord: We have landed in Gotham safe and sound.

Sunshine Child: That’s great!!!! :)

Sunshine Child: No drama yet? 

Sunshine Child: I’m sure your siblings will want to know everything about Zili Alqatah ;)

Edge Lord: Please don’t remind me. I can feel a headache coming on just thinking about.

Sunshine Child: Lol, I’m sure it’ll be fine Dami

Sunshine Child: Your family loves you and that’s why they want to be involved in your life.

Sunshine Child: plus they want to make sure you haven’t hung up that frankly garish yellow and black cape

Sunshine Child: After all, I’m sure your dad would love another child! XD

Edge Lord: ….. 

Damian smiled gently at his phone, his green eyes flicking up to take in the sight of his family around him. He loved them too, though he may not be very verbal about it. Not that most of them were. In the Wayne family actions spoke louder than words and that was fine with all of them; none of them were very good with words - well except Grayson but he was probably the least angsty out of them all so it barely counted. 

The car pulled to a stop and everyone piled out to get their language. Damian’s lips twitched into a small smile. He might not want to move home permanently just yet but he had missed the manor, the cave and even his insane siblings. It was good to be home even if he was desperately missing a very specific someone right about now. He had wanted to show her his home, introduce him to the whole family for quite some time now, which was something he couldn’t really comprehend but didn’t oppose that much. It also felt like it might have been just a tad easier to deal with his family if Marinette had been by his side. She had become a constant in his life, one he desperately needed and had helped him grow as a person. She was his anchor and he wished she was here.

His phone pinged and he dug it out of his pocket. The only person who ever texted him was Marinette and she was extremely important. Take-a-phone-call-from-her-in-the-middle-of-patrol important.

Sunshine Child: Look behind you ;)

Damian whirled around eyes filled with suspicion but bright with hope. Standing at the end of the driveway was Marinette in all her grinning glory with two suitcases at her feet. She was smiling at him in a way that took his breath away and made his heart beat faster. A matching grin formed on his lips as he tucked his hands into his pockets and approached her.

“Kalki?” He asked in a teasing manner, watching as the shorted bluenette fiddled with the hem of her green blouse.

“Yup. I had to come here anyways. Ya know, Uncle J wanted me to design his suit and come as one of his plus twos to the Gala your family is holding. I thought that if I got here early, I might have some time to get to know that crazy family family of yours that you’re always ranting about.” Her eyes light up with mischief and a shiver that he couldn’t explainran down his spine.

“Let’s introduce you to the Waynes then.” He picked up the larger bag from her feet and offered her his arm.

Giggling, Marinette took it and wrapped her fingers around the handle of her suitcase, “Lead the way!”


	4. Zili Alqatah's Reunion

“There is no need to be nervous.” Damian said offhandedly as they entered the Wayne Manor, setting Marinette’s bag down.

“I know that intellectually. Emotionally, I’m not so confident.” Marinette told him with a sigh, running her hands through her short hair and turning her slightly worried steely blue eyes to Damian

“There is nothing for you to worry about ya amar (my moon). They will love you.” The noiret smiled at her in a reassuring manner and took her hand in his, lacing their fingers together. 

A little smile took over Marinette’s lips and she squeezed the taller’s fingers, “Thank you mon tresor (my treasure).” She whispered back to him as her side bag popped open, the small red head of Tikki the Kwami of Creation and Luck appearing with a small smile and kindness twinkling in her eyes.

“We are here for you Mariner tte!” the small voice of the Kwami floating through the air and was shortly followed by an enthusiastic exclamation of, “Sugarcube!” and a black and green blur darting through the air. 

The female identifying kwami giggled and met her equal and opposite halfway, “Plagg, we saw each other just this morning!” 

“But that was forever ago!” the black cat Kwami whined, his posture drooping slightly. It was a funny thing to hear an immortal god describe sixteen hours at most as an eternity.

Marinette laughed at the Kwami’s antics while Damian rolled his eyes and snorted. They had gotten used to the banter between the two tiny gods over the last year and found it quite amusing. Marinette in particular liked to listen to them while she worked, finding the background noise reassuring and helpful. Damian didn’t feel the same way but liked to sit near Marinette as she worked, occupying his time in some way. The two humans barely even noticed when the two Kwami went out for a fly, absorbed in their own activities and each other’s presence. Sometimes one of them, usually Damian, would get up and bring them both tea, or turn on some music, which more often than not lead to them dancing around Damian’s apartment in some form or another. 

The excited chattering of Damian’s family reached their ears as they approached the family room. At first Wayne Manor’s public living room had been where the Bat Clan had hung out as a collective but they soon outgrew the space and they broke one to many things so the immediate convergence place for family gatherings was moved to one of the large parlors farther into the house. It was a very convenient place to mask the noise and insanity that usually occurred when every single one of the Bat’s occupied the same space at the same time. The two of them managed to sneak inside without being noticed, as absorbed in the pastry boxes piled on top of the table as they were and were able to situate themselves comfortably in one of the large armchairs, with Marinette sitting half on one of the chair’s arms and half in Damian’s lap. Damian’s arms curled around Marinette’s waist, his head leaned against the bluenette’s shoulder, his other hand tracing patterns into the fabric of Marinette’s pants’ leg thrown over the arm of their chair. 

“Has anyone seen Damian?” Steph asked after another fifteen minutes of his siblings devouring pastry’s and groaning in delight and shoving personal favorites into the faces of other siblings. He had quite enjoyed listening to Marinette whisper to him about each and every delicacy mentioned even though he already knew most of it. Listening to Marinette talking in such a happy, enthusiastic tone was worth listening to anything to him. 

“I have!” Marinette enthused in a loud voice, her lips pulled into a playful grin and her fingers carding through Damian’s messy raven locks.

Everyone else in the room was immediately on their feet with the notable exception of Jason who had fallen out of his chair while shouting, “Don’t throw more cutlery at me!”. Tim who had registered Marinette and Damian’s presence soon after the former spoke burst into laughter at the expense of his older brother. Dick’s wide eyes darted between Jason, Damian and Marinette before restarting the cycle, his jaw loose and fingers pointed at the French woman sharing a chair with his youngest brother, who was smirking in a very amusing way.

“Damian?!” Barbara exclaimed, her eyes wide as she took in the sight of the two lounging teens who were near snickering at the expense of the collective Batfamily. The youngest Wayne brother had changed quite a bit during his stay in Paris, growing his undercut out and letting his hair do whatever it wanted with very little interference, and he had obviously grown older but most of the changes weren’t physical They felt much more internal, exhibited best in his much more relaxed posture and intimate contact with another human being. He was also a bit lessy bratty from what she could tell, not having yet scolded his older siblings for being so careless as to let himself and his guest sneak into the room without them noticing. Maybe Paris truly did end up doing him some good. 

“Yes Gordon?” So the last names thing didn’t disappear. That was reassuring. 

“Who is… who is our … guest?” Barbara didn’t know what word to use to describe the woman sitting in Damian’s lap so she defaulted to the safest possible word to use.

“This is my partner, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She will be staying with us for the duration of my stay.” Damian said simply, as if stating an indisputable fact and not announcing that a stranger most of them had never met was going to be staying in the Manor for a couple of weeks.

“Are you… are you ah sure that’s a good idea?” Duke butted in, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably. He was still relatively new to the Family but he knew that they weren’t supposed to just bring strangers into the fold about what was going on with the Waynes.

“No need to fret.” Damian said with an eyeroll, his arm tightening around Marinette’s waist as the bluentte took over.

“I know about everything. Bruce being the Big Bad Bat and such.” Everyone found Marinette’s french accent adorable, so much so that they barely registered her words.

“I’m sorry what?!” Steph exclaimed, looking at Marinette with a new light, her eyes sparkling. Cass was in the middle of a similar assessment of the blue haired teen, and came to the conclusion that she was also somehow involved in the superhero game.

“Well, he knew my identity, I trusted him with the Black Cat, it was sort of a fair exchange for him to tell me a bit about himself.” Marinette shrugged a shoulder, as if the mere fact of Damian trusting anyone with anything was not groundbreaking news. 

“Black Cat? She trusted you with a pet and so you told her all of our secrets?!” Duke’s eyebrows climbed nearly up to his hairline. 

“I don’t have a cat.” Marinette paused a moment then added, “Well…” with a conpletictive look towards Damian. 

Damian raised an eyebrow at her, unamused, “She trusted me to become one of Paris’s heroes -Zili Alqatah, I’m sure you’ve all read my reports- and I thought it would be for the best if I told her I have previous experience as a vigilante.”

The family paused to observe the information that Damian and Marinette were giving them. It was a little hard to believe that Damian, their youngest and most violent brother, was Zili Alqatah but it made sense. Zili Alqatah was an aggressive hero, more on the offensive than Ladybug and silent, behaving very much like both his namesakes. He was quiet and very much someone who could blend in with the darkness and gather information then destroy the source, which, now that they all thought about it, was a very League of Shadows technique. 

“Selina’s gonna be so delighted!” Jason exclaimed with a shit eating grin on his face as the collective realization of Damian’s new alter ego’s theme was soon followed by their sort-of-mother’s theme and the relation between the two.

Marinette burst out laughing while Damian threw his head back and sighed a sigh of a person who was hit was a realization they could have lived without for the rest of time. 


	5. Zili Alqatah's Mother

Marinette’s fingers were still combing through Damian’s hair and she was still sat in his lap with his arm around her waist when Bruce and Selina entered the room. The dark knight’s eyes darted around the room, taking in the sight of his children, who were surprisingly subdued and focused. His eyes narrowed when he noticed that one of his children was missing from the huddle, but then, that wasn’t new. As his icy blue eyes landed on Damian and Marinette, they momentarily widened than narrowed. Selina was much more content with simply watching their children, a sly smirk forming on her lips. She caught snippets of their conversation and couldn’t help the spiking of her curiosity. After all, curiosity might have killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back.

Marinette raised an eyebrow and leaned down to whisper in Damian’s ears, whose eyes stayed fixed on his father and mother but it didn’t take a lot of effort to figure out that the bluenette in his arms had most of his attention. Damian’s eyebrow quirked too as he looked at the young woman sitting on his lap. At the sight of her soft, encouraging smile, Damian smiled -or maybe smirked, it was hard to tell with him. 

Marinette slipped off of him, smoothing down her loose, off shoulder blouse and offered her hand to Damian. He took it and stood, maneuvering their arms so that they were linked and Marinette’s smaller hand rested in the crock of his elbow. They looked like the perfect image of the Lord and Lady of the Manor, despite their casual clothing and young age. Their eyes were older, older than they had any right to be and swirled with a strange amount and combination of emotion. Each member of the family picked up on different ones, there was so much to the couple. It was really unnerving that they could feel so much and yet show barely any of it, like the emotion in their eyes was a shield against something more that no one but possibly the other was meant to see. Somehow the thought of the two youngest in the room being so mentally tested was scarier then a lot of Gotham’s population. 

“Now that everyone is here.” Damian spoke up, taking the lead, since most in the room didn’t know Marinette. “I would like to introduce you to Marinette Dupain Cheng.”

He stayed silent for a little bit as his siblings and mother fawned over the small statured woman by his side and introduced themselves to her. Marinette politely mingled with them, subtly getting them to admit what their favorite of the pastries were and getting to know their names and faces. The second was pretty unnecessary, since Damian had told her about all of his siblings but Marinette was the polite one and he didn’t want to object because she seemed to enjoy getting to know his family.

“So I heard of your new alter ego.” Selina sidled up to Damian with a small chuckle and curious evergreen eyes.

“I thought you might like it.” Damian smirked up at his mother, who reached up and patted his head with a tinkling laugh. 

“You have to show me your costume soon. I am very curious about it all, especially your that ring of yours.” Of course the cat themed thief was eyeing the silver ring on Damian’s finger, having heard some stories and legends about it already. She didn't intend to steal it of course, but she was interested in the cat themed artifact regardless. 

“Yes, we do plan to accompany you all on patrol one of these nights. But I'm afraid it isn’t going to be tonight. We are far too jet lagged. Well, Marinette insist we are because apparently I have to sleep more but i will make sure we join you at some point during our stay.” Damian rolled his eyes but there was a fondness to the lift of his lips and the sparkle in his eyes. 

Selina suddenly felt like she was intruding on something, like she was an outside observer to something special between the two young adults. Damian referred to the two of them as ‘we’, a collective. How like a married couple, and not the young, honeymoon phase ones. They acted as if they have been together for decades now, even though Selina knew that was impossible. It was a little unnerving, to be honest but Selina didn’t comment. It wasn’t her place after all. And anyway, the way Damian was watching the french woman mingle with his family said a lot more about his feelings than the way he referred to Marinette and himself as an ‘us’. It was a fascinating subject, one that will be more thoroughly discussed at a later date. For now Selina and Damian enjoyed the presence of their loved ones and watched from the side lines with fond, soft, green eyes.


	6. Zili Alqatah's Past

Hours later, once everyone had gotten acquainted and Marinette and Damian were finally able to escape them, Damian spirited the two of them away towards his room in the Manor. Somehow he was nervous about showing the bluenette by his side his old room, which was frankly ridiculous because they pretty much lived together at this point and there was next to nothing they didn’t know about each other. They had long ago decided that they were going to stay by one another’s side no matter what and yet this made him nervous. It shouldn’t make him self conscious to let Marinette to see this side of him, this part of his past. There was nothing she didn’t know about his past, they had told each other everything. But the reality of her physically being in his room was… daunting… He really had no words for how it made him feel, the fact that his present and future will collide so drastically with his past. 

He felt Marinette’s smaller fingers tighten around his and he looked down at her. She was smiling up at him gently, in that way that made his heart flutter and his train of thought to go careening off course unexpectedly. And that was exactly what had happened. Her wordless reassurance and kindness and non judgmentally seeped under his skin, filling his chest with oh so much love and happiness and warmth, clearing his head of all negativity and everything that could possibly make him feeling anything but loved and cherished. Her complete, conditionless and almost frightening faith in him filled his whole being with so much emotion that he could not possibly hope to verbally express it. So he squeezed her hand back and her smile burst into a grin, a happy blush spreading up her cheeks and he was sure she understood it all. No words necessary. They were beyond that. 

The lock on his room’s door clicked softly under his touch and the doors swung open noiselessly, revealing a rather Spartan room. Only the necessary things were present inside, including a perfectly made bed, a dresser, a closet and a door to the bathroom. It was like stepping back in time for Damian, but he felt strangely disconnected from it all. Ever since he moved to Paris, he had started expressing himself more, showing emotion, learning and exploring himself. His home back in Paris held some personal touches, decorations he bought just because he liked with Marinette encouragement, pieces of art hung on the walls, comfortable furniture in every room of his home, little trinkets scattered all around him. There were posters, CDs, souvenirs, memorabilia. Compared to his home in Paris, his room in the Manor felt empty, like no one lived there, just passed through, slept there, but didn’t live there.

And yet somehow, the moment Marinette stepped into the room, a nostalgic, kind smile on her lips, the whole room lit up and it didn’t feel so empty and sad anymore. It only took a moment for Damian to realize why. Marinette was his present and future, his new constant, the one person who reached out and pulled him in, who helped him become someone for himself. She brought out the character of the room. It was Spartan, true, with no personal touches but that said a lot about who he used to be. He used to think he was just passing through, like he didn’t belong and was going to be forced to leave eventually. He had lived as the perfect soldier, not the perfect son -there was no such thing, he had realized- and as a result lived still like on of Talia’ and Ra’s’ assassin, a faceless, nameless foot soldier who would could be replaced at a moment’s notice. 

His past, present and future colliding was not a bad thing. It was the complete opposite in fact. It was one of the best things that could have ever happened to him. And he knew that because watching Marinette walk about, examining his old room with a smile, he could see for himself how far he had come, He could visually see his improvement, how he had grown over the span of a year. He had become his own person, the person he was wanted to be and not the person other’s wanted him to be. He could feel emotions welling up inside and he didn’t realize that they had manifested themselves in the form of tears until Marinette’s gentle fingers brushed against his wet cheek.

“Is something wrong ma cherie?” Marinette’s voice was gentle and low, her concerned blue eyes peering up at him from under her lashes.

“No, ya amar,” he whispered back, his hands coming up to cradle Marinette’s face in his hands, “Everything is perfect, I promise.”   
Marinette smiled at him, a small private smile that he had only ever seen her smile at him and eased towards him, her own hands coming up to rest on his chest. It felt amazing to be so close to her, to be touched with such love and so gently. His heart nearly ached with the intensity of the love that resided within it for this woman in front of him. She understood immediately that his tears didn’t mean anything had saddened him, just that he was overwhelmed and she had not judged him for it. She had loved him for it, for this and so much more. He loved her for all of it too. 

Damian’s eyes slide closed as he leaned down, his forehead resting against her’s, his chest pressed to her’s as they breathe together. He felt her pulse under his fingers, heard her soft breathing, felt the slow fall and rise of her chest. He loved this. Being so close and intimate and loving with Marinette. He loved it and he loved her. He loved her. 


	7. Zili Alqatah's Habits

Leaping from rooftop to rooftop was an activity Damian was familiar with no matter what costume he did or didn’t wear. His feet were light and steps strong as he ran through the night, just another one of the shadows, going unnoticed by those who didn’t know where to look. And there was only one person who knew where to look at any given time. His lomunos green eyes didn’t give him away, not even to Batman or Red Robin, and they most certainly didn’t give him away to Ladybug. The spotted heroine, however, did have an instinct for locating him and she knew him better than any other. Her steel blue eyes always followed him as he traveled from shadow to shadow, never in sight but always present, always stand sentinel over his love from the background, ready to leap out and join her in battle. It was a strategy and a habit they had both adopted instinctively, without the need to discuss it at all. It was oddly reassuring to have her watching his back at all times. 

His feet once again landed on the familiar rooftops of Gotham. It was strange to run across Gotham City’s skyline when he was Zili Alqatah and not Robin but somehow it was also freeing to do so. He didn’t know why. After all, many more people had harnessed the power of the Black Cat Ring before him then had donned the Robin costume. It should be nearly impossible to feel like it was original, to be just his and no one else’s, the identity of the Black Cat Wielder. People, hundreds of them, had been privy to the ring’s power, had used it for their own purposes, whether that be to protect and stand side by side with their Ladybug or something entirely different, it didn’t matter. They had used it before him. It should not have felt more intimate than the Robin title, which only a handful of people had had the privilege of holding and yet… It might have been that he got to create Zili Alqatah for himself, from the ground up, whereas Robin was a fixed title with only a little leeway room. The ring provided him with an opportunity, gave him the tools and expected him to make some out using it, for himself, so he could decide for himself what he wanted to do as opposed to the Robin title, handed down with a certain set of expectations and rules that are to be followed at all times, with the maximum amount of control he had being over the design of his spandex. It probably was that.

“No need to be so philosophical. It’s only eleven pm.” Marinette’s teasing voice sounded from his right, amusement coloring her voice and a smirk touching the edge of her lips. 

Neon green eyes shone bright with the shadows of his hood as he stepped up onto the ledge of the building they were currently on, “We don’t have a schedule set, do we?”

Ladybug could hear the smirk in his tone and raised an eyebrow under her mask, reaching up to brush her fingers over the fabric of his cape, “Nope, but it’s best to leave such thoughts till after midnight, just to be safe. We might get unfortunately distracted otherwise.”

“True. Catch up?” Zili Alqatah looked down at the street while Ladybug turned her head up to look for the Bats and their progress across the skyline.

“Should.” She murmured, unclipping her yo-yo from around her waist and slipping her finger inside the loop, letting it drop down and bounce back like the toy a few times. 

“Well then.” One moment, Zili Alqatah’s staff wasn’t in his clawed hands and the next it was, the movement lost to the stillness of the shadows that followed in his wake, wrapping around him and shrouding him in darkness. 

A near silent sound cut through the air and then Ladybug was gone, lost to the night sky as she leapt into the open air with only her yo-yo to support her. She moved confidently through the air, landing on the roof across the street and taking off in a run, her feet barely touching anything but air. Zili Alqatah admired her for a movement, satisfied to see that their training together had yielded long lasting results. The slightest pressure applied with a claw tipped hand and Damian joined her, his shadows following as he slunk behind her, footsteps silent and neon eyes careful. He loved to run like this, in the shadows of the night, on his love’s heels, silently watching her as she patrolled, drawing all attention to herself and letting Damian strike once she distracted them. It was theirs and it worked.

“Where’s Zili Alqatah?” Batman’s deep voice cut through the usual chatter of the night, drawing attention to himself. 

He stood at the edge of the building Ladybug had landed on moment’s before, the spotted heroine standing right in the middle of the empty rooftop. His brothers and sisters lined the edge, all watching the red clad Parisian with narrowed eyes and strike-prepared hands. Damian was a little disappointed in his family, seeing how their trick worked on them too, especially since his glowing cat eyes watched them from the gloom of the air conditioning unit and none of them noticed. But then again, it might be a little too much, asking them to notice the obvious right in front of them. Though he was disappointed in his father the most. Greatest detective in the world. Yeah right.

“He is here, don’t worry.” Ladybug’s steely eyes, of course, were trained on him, a small, loving smile on her lips that no one but he seemed to notice. He really was disappointed in his family. She was looking right at him and still they saw nothing. 

“He likes to keep to the shadows.” the bluenette amended after a moment of tense silence and at the narrowing of his family’s eyes, Zili Alqatah decided to save them all the trouble and melted out of the shadows, setting right up next to Ladybug.

It was only then that they noticed him, realized that he had been there all along and uncoiled their tense muscles. Really, for the largest and most dangerous hero family, they were not that intimidating when you knew how to make them relax. Damian quirked an eyebrow at them and though they couldn’t see the actual action carried out thanks to his hood, they at least were able to read the twitch of his eyes and nose well enough to know what he had done and so were chastised. Damian could feel Marinette’s fingers curl around his, their joint hands hidden from view by her cloak. She squeezed his hand and flicked her eyes to the opposite rooftop, currently occupied by one Catwoman aka Selina Kyle who wore a smirk on her lips. The cat ears atop his hood twitched a little and he smirked back as his mother took a running leap and landing on the rooftop the rest of the family was gathered on very much like a feline. 

“I like the costume dear. Very… you.” The older feline themed hero purred, strutting over to the two teenage heroes and gently petting the top of Zili’s head. He nudged his hand up into her hand, tilting his head ever so slightly to indicate ear scritches. Catwoman obliged and chuckled. Damian will forever swear that it was Plagg’s influences that caused such action and it was in no way his own impulses that resulted in it.

Ladybug snickered next to him, squeezing his hand to draw his eyes to her. She subtly tilted her head towards the rest of his family, who were watching with varying degrees of surprise and interest. No one really made a move to swarm them, which was a good choice on their part as Damian couldn’t help feeling like he might scratch them if they came near him right now. A lot of them looked a little fearful too, but that might have been because of his generally colder attitude that they were used to and maybe also the part where he was reacting like an actual feline to being pet. Honestly Damian didn’t care much as long as his love and his mother were by his side. He liked them the most. And may Dick. He liked Grayson too. 

“Well kitten,” Selina whispered, laughter in her voice and love in her eyes, “I think you and I should go out for a night on the town. Maybe bring our adorable coccinelle too.”

Damian nodded eagerly, wanting his mother to like Marinette. He had no doubt they would get along well but still, he wanted to be sure. His family seemed to adore Marinette almost as much as he did but he would be lying if he said he didn’t find Selina’s opinion the most important -more important than his father’s even. It went without saying that he had very few positive female presence in his life, and one of them -and probably the first one- was Selina Kyle, Catwoman herself. He found her opinion very important and she was also a major influence for his new alter ego. After all, there was no better Black Cat than her. 

Ladybug was beaming next to him, which he knew to be her agreement to this arrangement and so he decided to nod too, a small smile playing at the edge of his lips. Tonight was going to be much more interesting than he initially thought it could ever be. 


End file.
